Electrolytic cell.



F. I. METZGER. ELEcmo-LYTIC cELL.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I6. 190B.

Patented Apr. 11,1916.

WITNESSES narran sfra'rns Parana carica,

FLOYD J. METZGER, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, OF ONE-THIRD TO HAL T. BEANS AND ONE-THIRD TO MILTON C. WHITAKER,

ELECTROLYTIC CELL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 11, 19H5.

Application filed October 16, 1908. Serial No. 458,065.

To all whom t may concern):

Be it knownthat I, FLOYD J. METZGER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the countyof New York, borough of Manhattan, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Im` provement in Electrolytic Cells, of which the following is a specification.

vhil'e the invention is capable of general application in 4numerous situations where it is desirable to more or less separate the anode and cathode elements, I will describe the same in connection with the extraction of nickel. which has been extracted from its ore and carried in a hydrochloric acidsolution', but I desire it' understood that the invention is in no way limited to the exact use stated and to be hereinafter described.

My invention is fully and clearly shown in the accompanying drawings wherein- Figure l is a diagrammatic representation of the cell. Fig. :2 is a section of a portion of the birchwood cup showing the longitudinal position of the fibers.

l is any suitable vessel for containing the solution. /f

2, 2, are carbon anodes."

3 is a nickel cathode.

l is a cup shaped diaphragm dividing the electrolytic cell into the anode and cathode compartments. The precise material of which I have constructed this diaphragm has been seasoned birchwood formed by milling tools into a cup, the walls of which are about one-eighth to one-quarter inch in thickness and the grain of which runs substantially in a longitudinal direction so that at the sides of the cup the side of grain is presented to the electrolyte and at the bottom the end of the grain is presented thereto. In some cases, I have prepared this cup for use by soaking it in alcohol to remove resinous substances and in others not. It is the purpose of this wood diaphragm to prevent diffusion of any of the products resulting from electrolysis, which products, if allowed to circulate freely in a solution without a diaphragm, would enter into chemical combination and defeat the object of the electrolyzation. For instance, .in the experiment described in this applicatlon 1n which nickel is the metal to be recovered,

chlorin mustbe kept away from the deposited nickel.

In carrying out my invention, I have proceeded as follows by way of example: I have treated water solutions of nick.V hlorid of about 1.3 specific gravity obtained by sub- ]ectmg nickel ore to hydrochloric acid.

' During the reaction stated in the above example, ionized chlorin migrates through the diaphragm Ll toward the anode where it is changed to chlorin gas, part of which 1s evolved as such, and part remains dissolved in the electrolyte. The diaphragm described prevents this chlorin dissolved in the electrolyte as well as the chlorin gas from diffusing and rentering the cathode chamber and attacking the deposited metal.

The use of the separating diaphragm consisting of av wood or fibrous body in which the grain of the wood, or the fibers of the body are arranged endwise to the adjoining solution, constitutes the important feature of my invention for the following reasons: By the use of a diaphragm in which the wood is cut cross-grain there is practically no resistance to the current even though the diaphragm is of considerable thickness, say, from one-quarter to one-half an inch, an in consequence of this I am able to secure a. very high current efficiency during the progress of the process. As will be seen from the example hereinafter set forth, the current efficiency is nearly 100 per cent. A further advantage of the diaphragm cut cross-grain or in which the fibers lie endwise to the solution, resides in the fact that the electrolyte can pass through the diaphragm, but none of the gases evolved in the reaction which takes place are permitted to do so. I do not desire to be limited to any particular kind of wood and have mentioned birchwood above as being one of the woods which I have used successfully -in carrying out the process. Having placed said nickel chlorid solution in the cell so as to occupy both the anode and cathode compartments the time, current and temperature of the operation may be exempliiied by the following tabulation of a specific case in which I obtained a deposit on the of nickel in about 3 hours with a current of from l0 to 1032` amperes and about 42g volts;

cathode 3 of about 33 grams the cathode surface being about 15 square inches and there being no apparent depreciation in the etliciency of the diaphragm.

Hour of:` observation. Amperes. Volts. Tllggff I have above described the manner in which I have practised my invention with great particularity and exactness so as to make it -absolutely certain, that a person following the description will obtain the same result, but I do not therefore wish ,to be understood as implying that all of these details are necessary or limit myself to them since I believe that they may be departed from. For example, if, in the light of thisl description, it shall be found Vthat other the bottom of the cell and above the lower ends of the anodes so that the solution in the anode compartment extends across between the anodes beneath the bottom of the cup.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim is:

1. In an electrolytic cell5 the combination of an anode, a cathode and a diaphragm extending across substantially the entire effective path of the current to and from said electrodes, said diaphragm being formed of fibrous material having the ends of the fibers presented to the electrolyte.

2. In an electrolytic cell, the combination of an anode, a cathode and a diaph agm extending across substantially the entire effec tive path of the current to and from said electrodes, said diaphragm being' formed of wood with the ends of the grains presented to the electrolyte.

3. A ldiaphragm for an electrolytic cell comprising a section of fibrous material formed to present the ends of the fibers to the electrolyte. v

LA diaphragm for an electrolytic cell comprising a piece of wood cut to present the ends of the grains to the electrolyte.

5. A diaphragm for an electrolytic cell comprising a piece of birchwood cut to preent the ends of the grains to the electroyte. A

In testimony whereof I have hereunto Asigned my name in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

FLOYD J. METZGER.- Witnesses:

K. G. LEARD, v T. E. HARDENBERGH, Jr.

Copies of 'this patent may he obtainedfor ve cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

washington, n. c. 

